The Frangipani Hotel by Violet Kupersmith

Title: The Frangipani Hotel
Author: Violet Kupersmith

Genre: Fiction (Short Stories / Contemporary / Vietnam / Vietnamese-Americans / Cross-Cultural Experiences / Supernatural Themes / Folk Lore)
Publisher/Publication Date: Spiegel & Grau (4/1/2014)
Source: TLC Book Tours

Rating: Loved.
Did I finish?: I did.
One-sentence summary: Nine chilling and atmospheric short stories about Vietnam.
Reading Challenges: E-book, NetGalley & Edelweiss

Do I like the cover?: Love it. It reminds me of 'Boat Story', the piece that opens this collection.

I'm reminded of...: Aimee Bender, Elizabeth Hand, Sara Maitland, Ludmilla Petrushevskaya

First line: The only photograph I have of my father doesn't show his face., from 'Reception'.

Buy, Borrow, or Avoid?: Borrow or buy, stat!

Why did I get this book?: I'm a short story fan.

Review: I loved this volume of short stories, right from the first page. Reminiscent of Aimee Bender, Elizabeth Hand, Sara Maitland, and Ludmilla Petrushevskaya, Kupersmith's stories have that wonderful mix of mood, slightly supernatural-y elements, and lovely language you just want to pluck out and savor.

These nine stories are set in Vietnan or in Vietnamese-American households in the US. Most have an undercurrent of creepiness to them due to a vaguely supernatural or paranormal element, usually due to creatures from myth and folk lore.  They're about family -- and the mysteries in families -- or one's identity.  They're about the power and danger of stories and questions.  They're flat out awesome.

I don't know if I can pick a favorite from the collection, as I adored each one as soon as I finished.  Kupersmith quickly evokes sense of place and characters in a few sentences, but nothing ever felt rushed or quick.  There's both mood and plot in every piece.
Our muddy patch of the world was already shadowy and blood-soaked and spirit-friendly long before the Americans got here. (p56)
I inhaled this volume in a night.  Apparently Kupersmith is writing a novel, and I cannot wait for it.  Given this taste of her style of writing, her novel is going to be incredible.

Highly, swoon-i-ly recommended.  Those who aren't wild about short stories should give these a try -- each story has a satisfying arc and a fabulous ending.  Short story fanatics will obviously want to get this collection.  Anyone who wants an armchair escape and a brush with something ghostly and otherworldly, this is your book.

*** *** ***

GIVEAWAY!

I'm thrilled to offer a copy of The Frangipani Hotel to one lucky reader! To enter, fill out this brief form. Open to US readers only, ends 4/25.




Comments

  1. Meg @ write meg!April 8, 2014 at 10:47 AM

    It's been a while since I sunk my teeth into a good short story collection. I just finished The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, and I have a hunch I'd enjoy this one!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AudraApril 8, 2014 at 2:06 PM

      I haven't read that one, but some of the slightly magical-ish-ness in this reminded me of Bender's short stories. Hope you love if you get it!

      Delete
  2. UnknownApril 8, 2014 at 11:02 AM

    Excellent review, I am adding this to my wishlist immediately!

    ReplyDelete
  3. As the Crowe Flies and ReadsApril 8, 2014 at 11:15 AM

    I really liked this one, too. So atmospheric! And I'm easily creeped out, so this one had me on edge while reading it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AudraApril 8, 2014 at 2:07 PM

      I'm creeped out easily, too, so this one constantly gave me the wibblies. It was delightful!

      Delete
  4. Lauralee April 8, 2014 at 2:49 PM

    Great Review!

    ReplyDelete
  5. SteenaApril 8, 2014 at 4:53 PM

    Cover porn. *swoon*

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AudraApril 8, 2014 at 6:41 PM

      Isn't it ever? And if you blow up the cover, there's some fabulous texture/fading on the font that had me esp swoony!

      Delete
  6. bermudaonionApril 8, 2014 at 5:13 PM

    You read it in one night? It must be terrific!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AudraApril 8, 2014 at 6:44 PM

      It was so fantastic, and I didn't want to stop 'being' in Kupersmith's world.

      Delete
  7. SusanApril 8, 2014 at 6:33 PM

    I don't read short stories all that often, but I'm starting to see this book popping up and it looks really good. After your review, I'm going to have to read it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AudraApril 8, 2014 at 6:45 PM

      Susan, I wasn't always a big short story fan -- I felt like they didn't have a complete arc for me -- but this is a fabulous collection where each story feels complete and finished. V satisfying!

      Delete
  8. SerenaApril 9, 2014 at 8:11 AM

    I adored this collection! I cannot wait to read Kupersmith's novel and anything else she writes

    ReplyDelete
  9. BeccaApril 9, 2014 at 12:10 PM

    Thanks for the giveaway! It sounds amazing! Wonderful review.

    ReplyDelete
  10. RyanApril 11, 2014 at 1:11 PM

    Sounds like something I would adore. I love Daphne du Maurier and Shirley Jackson who both wrote slightly creepy short stories. I have a collection of stories by Ludmilla Petrushevskaya, but haven't read them yet.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Charlie (The Worm Hole)April 13, 2014 at 4:18 PM

    I had to put this on my list as I love the idea of the mythical along with short stories. Your reference to Bender pretty much sealed it.

    ReplyDelete
  12. BooksnycApril 13, 2014 at 8:58 PM

    I love good short story collections and this sounds like one I should pick up. I visited Vietnam a few years ago and was captivated by the people there and their stories.

    ReplyDelete
  13. AnonymousApril 19, 2014 at 11:48 PM

    Thanks for being a part of the tour! I'm featuring your review on TLC's Facebook page today.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gillespie and I by Jane Harris

Image
Title:Gillespie and I
Author: Jane Harris

Genre: Fiction (British / Scottish / 19th century / Artists / Unreliable Narrator / Missing Children / Secret Identities)
Publisher/Publication Date: Harper Perennial (1/31/2012)
Source:TLC Book Tours

Rating: Loved like I wanted to marry it!
Did I finish?: Yes, inhaled over a matter of days.
One-sentence summary: Elderly Harriet Baxter puts down in writing the events from her tumultuous time in Glasgow in the late 1880s while facing another mystery of her own.
Reading Challenges:Historical Fiction, Victorian

Do I like the cover?: I love it: it's striking, and kind of creepy, and reflects elements from the novel.

I'm reminded of...: A.S. Byatt, Shirley Jackson, Sarah Waters

First line: It would appear that I am to be the first to write a book on Gillespie.

Did... I get up early three mornings to have more time to read?: YES, and this was after staying up wicked late to keep reading. (Perhaps why my cold was prolonged. Ooops!)

Buy, Borrow, or Avo…
Read more

Next to Love: Ellen Feldman

Image
Title:Next to Love
Author: Ellen Feldman

Genre: Fiction (Historical / American / WWII / 1950s /1960s)
Publisher/Publication Date: Spiegel & Grau (7/26/2011)
Source:TLC Book Tours

Rating: Liked to nearly loved.
Did I finish?: Yes -- in about six hours.
One-sentence summary: World War II and the aftermath is felt for decades in the lives of three women from a small Massachusetts town.
Reading Challenges:Historical Fiction

Do I like the cover?: Yes -- it's a little pat WWII-ish and I wish it might have shown a telegram (referencing one of Babe's jobs), but the pictures and letters convey some of the story's bittersweet arc about communication and memories.

I'm reminded of...: Penelope Lively, Cynthia Ozick, Valerie Martin

First line: In the year and a half Babe Huggins has worked for Western Union, she has been late only once.

Did... I literally lose myself in this book?: YES. I woke up Sunday and picked this up to thumb through while waiting for my coffee to finish brewing;…
Read more

Audiobook Review: The Secret Life of Anna Blanc by Jennifer Kincheloe

Image
Anna didn't like children. Her greatest fear was that her prayers would get crossed with some other Catholics. Anna would get pregnant without even asking and some other woman would get a motorcycle or permission to play flag football.

I've got a new heroine addiction in the form of one Anna Blanc -- socialite, heiress, adventurer, crime fighter.

Set in 1907 Los Angeles, our heroine Anna is the daughter of a French banker and is known for being a charming, beautiful socialite. But she wants more than all that. She wants to be a police detective. Her reputation is already borderline ruined from an impetuous decision she makes in the first chapter, but she manages to juggle a handsome, wealthy suitor and a position as a police matron -- the closest thing to being a police detective she can manage. But wrangling orphans into orphanages isn't the work she wants to do, and with guts, moxie, and obliviousness, she gets to work solving murders and other crimes.

The Secret L…
Read more

The Passing Bells by Phillip Rock

Image
Title:The Passing Bells
Author: Phillip Rock

Genre: Fiction (Historical / UK / 1910s / WWI / Country Estate / Social Class / War / PTSD / Journalism / Historical Figures Fictionalized)
Publisher/Publication Date: William Morrow Paperbacks (12/4/2012)
Source:TLC Book Tours

Rating: Looooooooooooooooooved!
Did I finish?: Yes!
One-sentence summary: An epic novel following the intertwined lives of the rich and working class from 1914 to 1920.
Reading Challenges:Historical Fiction

Do I like the cover?: Love.It. I'm a sucker for eye candy, and this is just lovely, like a still from a film.

I'm reminded of...: Anya Seton, Louisa Young

First line: The dawn came early, tinting a cloudless sky the palest shade of green.

Buy, Borrow, or Avoid?: Borrow or buy.

Why did I get this book?: The cover!

Review: Given the Downton Abbey craze, I was apprehensive about this trilogy: was it any good or just a marketing ploy to cash in while DA is hot?

Thankfully, happily, awesomely, this book is good. Great. An…
Read more